


Irredeemably in Love

by baadd



Category: Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Family, Light Angst, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 20:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1616564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baadd/pseuds/baadd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tessa and Jem taking a walk around London. Slight fluff and a dash of angst. Set between Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Irredeemably in Love

The sun shone heavily on Jem and Tessa, as they hobbled their way through the streets of London. The humid wind did nothing to help their sweating bodies, as it blew hotly past them, on their way to Hyde Park, where they would complete their tour of this section of the city.

   “We can go back anytime, you know,” Jem reminded her, as he fanned himself to no avail. He figured Tessa must feel twice the amount of heat he did, in that luxurious gown. “Haven’t you already been here with Jessamine?”

   “I hardly got to see it until that deranged faerie attacked us,” Tessa complained. “And besides, I much rather prefer your company, than that of Will’s.”

   “Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you too?” Jem wondered out loud. This was a question he’d asked her many times, but never gotten an answer to.

   “I don’t know what you mean, Jem. Will and I never got along.”

   “You seemed perfectly friendly with him a few weeks ago,” Jem noted.

   “Well, looks can be deceiving. I’ve come to realize he’s a brat, and a pathetic one at that,” Tessa growled, somewhat cruelly. Jem felt startled, and slightly protective of his _parabatai_. This kind of tone would sound out of character coming from Tessa, if she was talking about someone other than Will.

   “He’s a fine lad, if you got to know him,” Jem offered, shyly, caught between wanting to agree with Tessa, let the comment slide, and defend Will. This was a rather sort of lie, Jem realized, or more of a false hope he was giving. Will never opened up to anyone, other than Jem, so it was impossible to get to know him.

   “But he never treated you the way he treated me,” Tessa replied hotly.

   “So something _did_ happen,” Jem smiled, trying to sound like he was only teasing, not wanting to infuriate Tessa further.

   All Tessa did in reply was huff, and look away. Jem hoped he didn’t cross a line or make her upset. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

   Fortunately, Jem didn’t have to search very far for a change of topic, because at the end of the street they were exhaustingly climbing down, he caught a glimpse of a green horizon, dotted with tall trees, elegant couples, and a majestic river cutting through the centre of the grand field.

   They both let out a sigh of relief, grateful of the rest they would get under the cool shade, and sitting on the benches, watching the slightly tainted blue water lap on the rugged shores.

   Just then, Tessa’s smile returned, and looking at her this happy warmed his heart. She wrapped a delicate hand around Jem’s unimpressive, but strong bicep, and began to strut down the sidewalk, eager to reach the park. His heart jumped at her slightest touch, now here she is, holding him as if she has no effect on him. Couldn’t she see it? How irredeemably in love he is in her? A smile danced across Jem’s face, happy to just be with her.

   At Tessa’s brisk pace, they reached Hyde in no time. The park was much more beautiful up close to it. Jem could hear the few birds, singing an afternoon song in the trees. The weeping willows cried into the blue Serpentine. Small children ran around in the shade. The elderly abandoned their afternoon strolls to relax by the water. This was the kind of alive beauty Jem liked to recognize every day, because he knew he won’t be around much longer to enjoy it.

   Tessa practically giggled with excitement. Jem wondered why she was so excited about a park. Or maybe, he thought hopefully, she was just happy to be with him. He scolded himself in his head. That kind of wishful thinking was bad for him. Even if Tessa returned his feelings for her, he would die before they could be together, and it was a cruel act to marry a lady just to widow her a short number of months later.

   Lost in his own thought, Jem hear what Tessa was saying to him. He finally clued back in, when she looked expectantly at him. Obviously she just asked him a question. When wasn’t she?

   “What was that?” Jem asked, he felt his face flush; something that he never thought flattered him very much. He didn’t need a mirror to know that his skin, hair, and eyes looked especially white compared to the red in his cheeks.

   “I asked about your cane,” Tessa explained, looking him in the eyes. “Where did you get it?”

   It seemed like an odd question to ask, but he answered her anyway, “It was one of the few things that I brought with me from Shanghai. It was my father’s before mine, and his father before that, and so on…”

   “Did you bring anything else from China?” Tessa asked, gently, but inquisitively. She knew what a sensitive topic this was, and they’d only really just met.

   “Not much else other than a few personal items. I left most of my life from that city behind with my parents,” Jem said, dropping his voice, not looking for empathy, or to be fussed over. Tessa looked up at him sadly, but not out of pity. She respected him too much to pity him. Her hand clasped his bicep tighter, and she leaned into him slightly, careful not to push him to hard.

   Jem paid extra attention to his cane after that, as they trudged along in almost silence, making an awkward vide in the air between them. Although Jem loved her, he still felt as though he may have overshared.

   The two of them found their way to an old bench along the manmade shore. Now that they were sitting, Tessa leaned a tad heavier on him, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Jem wrapped a protective arm around her, and felt his heart rate escalate in his chest at the idea of her so close to him like this.

   Suddenly, Tessa looked up at him, tilting her head to see him over her lovely eyelashes. She placed a gloved hand on his chest, and the other on his leg. The touches were comforting, and grounding. Jem looked back at her, into her inquisitive gray eyes, and felt self-conscious of his almost white irises out of nowhere.

   Tessa, then, lifted her chin and kissed my cheek tenderly, as my cheeks once again filled with a rosy colour. Her lips were soft, and smooth on his delicate skin. He felt almost giddy with glee, but the most he showed of it was a bashful smile.

   “I can’t imagine what you went through,” Tessa started. “My own parents died, but not in the way yours did. If this had happened to anyone else, they would’ve broken years before. But you didn’t. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, and that’s something no demon can take from you.”

   They stayed there for a while. No words needed to be said by Jem for her to know how he felt. Happy, wistful, and, most of all, further in love with her than he could imagine.


End file.
